Since You've Been Gone
by Cagedbirdsings
Summary: Alice has never been one you would call girly. Not anymore, Alice is now on a mission, to get the man she loves to notice her. Will Alice succeed or fail? Will her summer transformation blow up in her face or will she get what she wants? One-Shot OOC


"I look like an idiot,"  
"No, you look very French chic,"  
"And that means?" I turn my head momentarily from the mirror to throw Bella a questioning look.  
"Never mind what it means, you look great." Bella insists fussing around with the pearls around my neck. I glance back at the mirror and take another long look at myself. It is still an unusual sight to behold. I looked like an actual girl with a high waistband skirt, tucked in ruffle blouse, and a, dare I say, cute pair of flats. The most bizarre thing was all the gunk smeared across my face that some how made me look even better. Here I was, Alice Brandon, the girl who never once in her life put forth an effort to be girly, the next top model of Forks High. I blame it all on Bella and possibly Jasper too, seeing as he was the reason for all of this.  
It is kind of a long story, Jasper and I. I've known Jasper my whole life but I have always been the little sister that he never had, even though I was only a year younger. When we were little, I was the one who played baseball with him, I was the one who shoved worms into his face for closer inspection, and I was the one with the skinned knees. It was a challenge growing up with him because as we got older he got new guy friends and his new guy friends didn't like girls with cooties. Well, I wasn't about to give Jasper up, so I embraced my tom boy role to its fullest.  
I threw away all of my barbie dolls, I no longer oohed and aawed over pretty dress and I chopped my long hair into a short bob. It was hard at first, but eventually I got accepted as one of the boys. I couldn't have been happier with my gang. I never really missed all the girly stuff because I had Jasper.  
Now here we are today, I'm seventeen years old and I'm on a new mission. Junior year is about to start and Jasper has been away all summer visiting family in Texas. While Jasper was away, Bella moved in across the street. She is a fiery Arizonian with a great sense of fashion. We quickly hit it off and it wasn't long before I was spilling my heart out to her. I told her all about how once I hit puberty things began changing between Jasper and I, well mostly my feelings began to change. Jasper went from being a cute boy to smoking hot, panty dropping man almost over night. He didn't notice, but I sure as hell did. Girls constantly threw themselves at him, and he sometimes caught them, depending. Meanwhile I was sitting on the sidelines hoping that one day he would notice that I was a girl, not one of the boys I so long had strived to be.  
Well Bella was having none of that, she went into full make over mode. I had to read Seventeen like it was the Bible, I had to, and I still cringe at this memory, get a full body wax, and I had to deprogram myself of years worth of habits. I could no longer bite my nails, I couldn't chop off my hair anymore, and I wasn't allowed to wear what Bella called "man clothes". But today it will all be worth it, today is the day Jasper will see me for the first time, both in the sense we haven't seen each other since the beginning of the summer and in the sense he has never seen me fulfill my full potential of beauty. (Bella's words, not mine.)  
"Are you sure Bells? I mean what if he doesn't like it? What if he never talks to me again?" I started to chew on my nails but quickly stopped myself, I just had gotten a mani/pedi the other day.  
"Everything is going to be fine, Jasper won't know what hit him, trust me." With that Bella picked up both of our bags and walked down the stairs. I threw one last glance at the mirror and hurried down to catch up with her.

As soon as the tires of my car hit the pavement of the Fork's High parking lot, a wave of dread washed over me. I wanted to puke, luckily I didn't or else I would have had to pay to fix the expensive upholstery in my Porsche. I fidgeted with my ring and cast glances across the parking lot looking for the familiar beat up Chevy Jasper always drove.  
"Everything is fine, stop worrying or else you are going to ruin your makeup." Bella cast me a look that was supposed to be reassuring. Didn't help much, really. I tentatively stepped out of the car, only to be bombarded by a mass of muscle.  
"Alice Brandon, is that you? Golly, I hardly recognized there for a minute,"  
"Nice to see you too Emmett," I tried to say as the guts were being squeezed out of me.  
"Hey, drop the girl or you are going to ruin her clothes," an indignant Bella protested.  
"Well Alice, seems you have a new little friend. What is your name little friend?"  
"Bella Swan, and you are?" Bella stuck out her dainty hand, as if she was going to shake his.  
"Emmett McCarty, resident class clown, football quarterback and all around handsome guy," Emmett said with a smirk.  
"He is also taken by me," Rosalie rested a possessive hand on Emmett's chest and gave a withering look to Bella. Bella dropped her hand and returned Rose's look with an icy glare. What can I say, Bella can hold her own.  
"Relax Rose, she has a boyfriend back home," I said. At the mention of Edward Bella lit up, and I'm not kidding when I say this, but there were stars in her eyes.  
"Oh yeah, once I finish high school I'm going back to Arizona and I'm going to marry Edward." Bella had already told me her future plans many times, so I kind of tuned out.  
"How interesting, and it seems you have changed little Alice here quiet a bit." I felt Rose's eyes burn into me and I shifted uncomfortably in my spot.  
"Oh yeah, when I heard about Jasper I had to-"  
"BELLA!" I screamed, my face flushing red, an annoying habit I was never able to rid of, luckily Bella had the same issue so she never made fun of me for it. Rosalie's eyebrows shot up into her forehead as she processed the new information.  
"What about Jasper?" Emmett asked, clearly not understanding.  
"Nothing, nothing at all." I said, looking at Bella sternly. Bella looked just as confused as Emmett.  
"You mean they don't know about-"  
" Bella!" I say again, hoping to shut her up for the final time. Rosalie had clearly connected the dots and an evil smirk spread across her face.  
"Say it aint so, little Alice here has a crush on our Jasper," I wanted to smack her but the impending tears I was trying to hold back kind of had me busy.  
"Alice likes Jasper?" Poor, oblivious Emmett, lets just say he isn't the brightest crayon in the box.  
"No, I don't," I try to deny but I know it is no use. My world was officially ending.  
"Yes you do, admit it," Rosalie was enjoying this way too much,"Oh, and speaking of the devil." She made it a point of looking past me to an unidentifiable figure. I felt my shoulders hunch in and I braced myself for what was to come.  
"Hey Em man, long time no see." I heard that smooth, southern voice behind me and I about melted. Damn him and his sexy voice.  
"Jazz man! How was your summer?" Emmett called back, raising his hand for a high five.  
"It was good. I missed everyone though, do you know where Alice is, I've been looking for her?" Jasper was right behind me now, so close I could smell his intoxicating scent, that mixture of leather, cologne and the occasional cigarette. I hunched in even more, hoping in vain he would keep on walking.  
Rosalie pitched in with her snide comment, "She is right in front of you, Jasper, can't you tell?" I really hated Rose right then.  
"Alice?" I could here the astonishment in his voice and he had only seen the back of my head. I turned around slowly, embracing myself for the humiliation that was to come.  
"Hey Jasper." When did my voice get so soft?  
"Alice," That was all he said as his eyes took in my new appearance. His eyes drifted from my now long hair, to my perfectly glossed lips, to my new pretty outfit and then back to my lips, "You've changed."  
I shifted the weight on my feet and looked awkwardly onto the ground. "Yeah, about that, it was Bella's idea and I thought it might be...well, you know...I don't know, it was a stupid idea and all-"  
"I like it."  
"I was begging Bella to cut my hair--wait, what did you say?" My ears could hardly believe it.  
"I said, I like it." Jasper gave me a smile that melted my insides. I could feel a smile creeping up onto my face.  
"Really? You do?"  
"Yeah--" I could tell he was about to say more but then the bell rang and kids everywhere were scrambling to get to their homerooms. Jasper cast me one last glance and then joined the throngs of students making their way into the building.  
"Well, that went well." Bella said, linking her arm into mine.  
"You really think so?" I asked as we started to walk.  
"Yup, Jasper will be yours in no time."

It was lunchtime and I sat at a lone table with Bella waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive.  
"Well anyways, I was like 'Sorry Mike, I'm not interested' but he kept on pestering me anyways. Can you believe that? After that I just stopped talking to him. Is everyone around here as persistent as he is? If so, I'm sorry but I'm taking the next train back to Arizona." When I didn't respond Bella gave me a long look.  
"Alice. Alice? Woo-hoo, anyone in there?" She waved her hand in front of my face and I snapped out of my trance.  
"Oh, what? Sorry. I zoned out there for a minute."  
Bella gave me a knowing look and said, "Sure. Hey Jazz boy over here!"  
I flushed red and whispered furiously, "Bella, don't draw attention to yourself like that."  
She just shrugged and took a bite out of her apple.  
"Hey guys." It should be illegal to have such a sexy voice. I could here his chair scraping against the floor as he took a seat.  
"Hey Jasper, how has your day been so far?" I sneak a glance at him to see that he is leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.  
"Same old, same old. Nothing changes around this godforsaken town." Bella snorted/choked and I pounded her on the back. After she is done coughing she straightens herself out.  
"We were never formally introduced, I'm Bella Swan." I could see Bella analyzing Jazz, seeing if he was good enough for her attention.  
"Well howdy Bella Swan, Jasper Whitlock to you."  
"Charmed." This made Jasper smile and I couldn't help but smile also. He made me happy. Bella, being Bella, missed nothing and she smiled in my direction.  
"So Jasper, do you have a girlfriend?" I felt the color in my face drain. Please, no.  
"Why do you ask?" His eyebrow was quirked and he held an amused smile.  
"Oh don't worry, I have a boyfriend. I just wanted to know for a friend." It would take a pure idiot to miss the glance she gave me. Jazz looked at me confused and the awkward conversation was ended when Emmett got to the table.  
"Golly guys, I missed you." He said.  
"It's only been three periods," I say giggling.  
"It has been three periods of me not being able to enjoy the company of my friends." It was statements like this that made Em so lovable. I mean, how could you not love him? I could see Rose hesitating right behind Emmett's chair. She kept casting glances at the table filled with her fellow cheerleaders and you could tell that is where she wanted to be but I knew for a fact that she was a girl on a mission. Mission: Let's Embarrass Alice So She Has No Chance What-So-Ever With Jasper or Mission:LEASSHNCWSEWJ for short. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. So she gingerly sat down next to Emmett and gave me an evil glare. What did I ever do to deserve this kind of punishment? Was it because I chopped off all of Lauren Mallory's hair in the 5th grade camping trip? Because, honest, I apologized.  
"So Alice, what inspired your new makeover this summer?" Rosalie pretended to be busy folding a napkin in her lap as she cast the question my way.  
"Oh, you know...just a change of pace. I wanted to try something different." I nervously tore apart my bread roll as I tried to avoid everyone's eyes.  
"Are you sure? Maybe you are trying to get a certain boy's attention?" I glanced up to glare at Rose and was shocked to see the expression on Jasper's face. It was steely cold and his lips were drawn in a thin line. He looked pissed, but why?  
"No, no, of course not!" I tried to seem shocked at such a suggestion. Something clicked with Bella and I could see her formulating a plan behind those pretty brown eyes of hers.  
"Actually, guys, can you keep a secret?" Bella asked as she leaned in closer to the other side of the table. What in the world was she doing? Emmett looked excited at the prospect of a secret and he leaned in closer.  
"Sure, new little friend, spill," What is happening?  
"Well Alice likes a guy, and she wants to get his attention," The color drained from my face. How could she? Was she going to broadcast to the whole table, a table including Jasper, my undying love for the man in question. Rosalie smirked, her cherry lips taunting me in her small victory.  
"What is his name, maybe I know him!" If only Emmett knew. Jasper said nothing, just continued to look pissed off.  
"His name is James." What the hell? I told Bella all about James, how he was constantly trying to steal Jasper's spotlight, always trying to make a competition of everything. Jazz hated James, why in the world would she say that? I cast a worried glance to Jazz. Forget pissed off, he looked livid. His normally pale face was tinged with pink, his eyes were glassy and you could see his hand clenching and un-clenching.  
"Wh-what are you saying Bella, silly. You know that isn't true." It was time for some serious damage control.  
"You know it's true Alice," she leaned in closer to my ear and whispered, "Just go with it, I have a plan." I looked at her like she was crazy but I kept my mouth shut and let her continue.  
"It's true, Alice was always telling me how nice James treated her, like a princess actually. She told me that James was the only one who ever treated her like a girl. The only one who could see her as a potential girlfriend. Romantic, right? So I decided to help Alice try and get his attention some more by dressing her like a girl." Jazz's face was back to its normal color now, and he just looked sad. What was going on inside his beautiful head? Emmett looked gleeful, just like a kid handed some candy. Rose looked ruffled, like she didn't quiet expect this to happen, well neither did I. But it didn't take long before she had another evil plan to ruin my life because fate was working against me.  
Right then, for some unexplainable reason, James walked by our table. He looked so arrogant, strutting with his lunch tray filled with junk food and his head held so high so could see up his nostrils.  
"Hey James." Rose called out to him. James turned to our table and smiled and then proceeded to walk over to us.  
"Hello, my little Rose garden. How can I be of a service to you." I wanted to gag. Rose garden, really? Who says that kind of stuff?  
"You know Alice, right?" James did a double take when he saw me in my girly clothes. I could see his beetle eyes fill with something unidentifiable and it scared me.  
"But of course, Mary Alice has brightened my day with her beauty many times." This guy was a serious creeper. I tried my best not to look at him, instead I settled on looking at Jasper who was watching James with a calculated calm.  
"Well I have a favor to ask. You know the football game next week? Alice needs a date." Rose was so lucky I couldn't break into her house at night. The Creeps eyes lit up and a smirk spread across his face.  
"I would be honored to escort Mary Alice to the game, and possibly dinner afterwords?" He stated the last part as a question, directing it at me. Bella jumped in with, "Of course, she would love to." I widen my eyes and looked at Bella. She just gave me a curt nod and then smiled up to James.  
"She'll meet you at the game."  
"Excellent, I eagerly await our date young Mary Alice." With that he left.  
"Look Alice, your dreams have come true!" There was a chance I still had my scissors from that 5th grade camping trip.

The past week had been agony. Jasper hadn't talked to me at all and every time I tried to start a conversation with him he just looked at me coldly and refused to speak. It was heartbreaking, I lost my best friend. Despite that, I still continued on with my girl regiment. I had hope that maybe he would still want me, if I just tried hard enough. I could tell Bella had a plan, she just wouldn't tell me. It was aggravating to say the least. Instead, Bella directed all of her efforts into preparing me for my date. Every lesson on etiquette and manners added to my discomfort, why was this all necessary? Every time I asked her she just said I had years worth of being a girl to make up for.  
It was Friday afternoon, the date day and I was in Bella's large room searching through her vast closet.  
"Do you think Jazz will ever speak to me again?" I was moping again and I could tell it was getting on Bella's nerves.  
"Of course he will. Once I am done with you, talking won't be all you guys are doing." It was comments like these that made me suspicious of Bella's ulterior motives.  
"How about this?" Bella held up a frilly purple dress to her body.  
"Too dressy." I dismissed.  
"Oh-kay. How about this?" She had a short black skirt with a matching blazer and white button up underneath.  
"That has potential," I said getting up,"Maybe if we added a cute brooch and undid the top buttons of the button up." I said fingering the blazer. Bella sniffed loudly and I could see tears in her eyes.  
"What is it?" I asked, concerned.  
"I'm-just so-proud," she said between sniffles," You've grown up so fast. It's just a little hard for me, that's all." I rolled my eyes at her silliness and searched through her accessories for an appropriate brooch. I saw a gemstone one, it had grey stones that reminded me of Jasper's eyes. I held onto it tightly trying to hold back my tears. I held out the brooch to Bella and managed to choke out, "This one."  
"Pretty. Good choice." She said, taking the brooch from me.  
Once we were all prettied up, we went to my Porsche and drove to the football stadium. The night was surprisingly clear and the harsh headlights on the field blinded me momentarily.  
"Where is he?" Bella said anxiously.  
"Where is who?"  
"Oh, nobody." Why was she being so evasive? I saw James waving to me from the stand and I dragged Bella with me towards him. No way was I doing this alone, anyways it was her fault I was even in this situation.  
"Why hello, Mary Alice. I see you have brought Isabella along with you. I'm afraid she won't be able to accompany us to dinner. The reservations are for two." Two words. Serious. Creeper.  
"That's alright, I'm not sticking around afterwords. Curfew and all." Bella said, her eyes scanning the crowd.  
"Excellent."  
"Hey, Jasper, over here!" Bella called, waving here hands over her head. I followed her gaze to see Jasper. I swear my heart skipped a beat when I saw him. He smiled at Bella but when he saw me all emotions left his face. The fracture in my heart split open just a bit more. I couldn't help but remember when I always brought a smile to his face. Somebody started to tug on his arm, pulling him in another direction, and when I saw who it was my heart split into two, shattered into a million pieces and got thrown out the window. Lauren Mallory.

I could honestly say I don't remember one minute of that football game. All I remember was watching Jasper and Lauren together. Jasper smiling, Lauren placing her hands on him, him leaning closer to her to whisper in her ear, her laughing loudly at whatever it was that he said. It took everything I had not to cry. Every once and awhile Jasper would look over to us, only to see me watching him.  
James kept trying to start a conversation with me but I was ignoring him and Bella was texting away to her boyfriend. I was glad when the game was over, I wouldn't have to subject myself to the torture of Jasper any longer. I was almost looking forward to dinner, all the better to distract myself from my current heart drama.  
We arrived to Port Angeles a bit early, so James thought it would be romantic to take a walk on the boardwalk before it was time for the reservation.  
"I've been thoroughly enjoying myself tonight, Mary Alice."  
"Um, yeah-I've had a good time too?" Why did I make that sound like a question?  
"I will admit, I was surprised when you agreed to go to dinner with me," Technically, I never agreed to anything. That was all Bella's doing, "I thought you were smitten with that Whitlock boy."  
"Well, um, you know."  
"I intend to take full advantage of my opportunity with you. You have blossomed to be quiet a beautiful young lady."  
"Um, err."  
"Alice is that you?" I could recognize that nasally voice anywhere.  
"Hello Lauren, how nice to see you." I feigned politeness, all the while avoiding looking at Jasper.  
"Whitlock."  
"Miller."  
"What do we owe this pleasure to, Whitlock?" James asked, his voice extra creepy if you ask me.  
"Just taking a walk with my date." Jasper put his arm around Lauren's waist and my ghost heart broke even more.  
"How pleasant. I was just doing the same with Mary Alice."James put his arm around me also but I just shrugged him off. I could feel Jasper's eyes boring into me, so I chanced a look at him. I swear I could see his eyes just soften a bit.  
"Could I speak with you Alice?" I was shocked at his question. I looked over at James but followed Jasper farther down the boardwalk, out of earshot.  
"What the hell are you doing with that guy, Ali?"  
"What am I doing with him? What are you doing with Lauren Mallory? You know how I feel about her!" I could feel both my anger and desperation bubbling to the surface.  
"I could say the same about James!"  
"Well it's not like I even like the guy!" Whoops, I don't think that was part of Bella's plan.  
"What did you say?"  
"I said it's not like I even like the guy." I whispered the last part and looked to the ground.  
Jasper stepped closer and grabbed my face. He forced me to look at him.  
"Then why?"  
I tore myself away from him and started to pace. All my emotions were surfacing and I was a tornado on the inside.  
"Because Bella said it would help."  
"Help what? What is going on!"  
"Bella said it would help getting you to notice me." I practically shouted. I clamped my hands over my mouth desperately wishing I could take back that last statement.  
"What?" Jasper looked shocked.  
"Nothing. Just nothing. Go back to your date, I'm sure she is missing you." Tears were brimming in my eyes and I tried to turn away from him.  
Jasper took two quick steps to me, grabbed me yet again and this time made sure I couldn't leave his grasp.  
"Lauren Mallory means nothing to me." With that he kissed me.  
Funny thing about kisses. They speak such volumes. A simple kiss can take the world away from you, give it back and solve the meaning of life. A kiss can convey every emotion you have ever felt in your life and put back together every broken piece inside of you. A kiss hello, a kiss goodbye, a lover's kiss, a family's kiss, a kiss to tell you care. I could feel the earth cracking open and every happy thing spill out into my heart. And plus it is just so nice. I felt all of that and more when I kissed him. He was hunched over and I was on my tippy-toes with my arms wrapped around his neck, my hands running through his silky hair. His lips were just so soft against mine, his hands so warm on my hips, I never wanted it to end but it did. In the small space between our lips Jasper whispered softly to me.  
"Nobody means anything to me. Nobody could ever compare to you Alice. I love you, I have always loved you, and I will always love you."  
"You have no idea how long I have been waiting for you to say that." I brought his lips back to mine, only to be interrupted.  
"I take it that you will no longer be dining with me tonight." James said, sounding a little pissed. Oh well.  
"Not tonight or any night, for that matter Miller. Now please leave." Jasper said, smirking. James left with a huff and Jazz turned back to me.  
"Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?" He asked, ever the gentleman.  
"Does that even need an answer?" I giggled, grabbing hold of his hand. We walked down the boardwalk, blissfully unaware that Lauren was huffing away waiting for Jasper to notice her again.

* * *

**Okay, so that was my one-shot. What did everybody think? Leave a review. And please, please, please if you are a new reader go read my in progress story _If This is Love. _I will forever be grateful if you left a review. That is enough of my begging party, so enjoy the rest of your day/night.**

**xoxo Bubbles  
**


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